Europe finds itself today confronting enormous socioeconomic
and demographic challenges, associated with the aging of the population,
the high number of adults with poor qualifications, and the high
unemployment rate. Professional training can offer a partial solution
to these problems. It is a vital instrument in Europe’s
development as a society based on competitive and cohesive knowledge.
It carries out a dual role – social and economic –
and is a determining factor for Europe’s potential in terms
of excellence, innovation and competitiveness. Training is an
integral part of the European social dimension.
This transmits values of solidarity, equal opportunity, and social
participation, producing positive effects on health care, the
fight against crime, the environment, democratization, and the
overall quality of life.
It is thus necessary that all citizens acquire knowledge, capabilities
and competence, and keep them constantly up to date. In this way,
we contribute to the active population and to economic growth,
guaranteeing social cohesion at the same time.
"Training is an indispensable factor for growth, creation
of jobs, and social cohesion". This is the starting point
from which, on February 26, 2004, the European Union Education
Ministers decided to accept the challenge and begin the process
called "Education and Training 2010: the success of the Lisbon
Strategy hinges on urgent reforms", with the objective to
make the educational and training systems a world reference point
in terms of quality by 2010.
Two years ago, the Ministers undertook the commitment to re-examine,
on a two year basis, the progress of the implementation of the
work program at a European (25 State) level, and to confer a central
position to the process of implementing national reform programs
tied to the re-launched Lisbon Strategy. This Report, presented
to the Heads of State by the Council of Education Ministers and
by the Commission on February 23, 2006, underlines exactly how
reforms contribute to the priority action sectors singled out
in the joint relation of 2004.
The "Education and Training 2010" program has become
part of the national political panoramas. Today, in varying degrees,
all Member States believe that the Lisbon Strategy represents
an important factor in the elaboration of national training policies.
Among the main priorities in most States are: improving the offer
of education and professional training; stimulating the growth
of University enrollment; completing the realization of the “Bologna
Process” for greater transparency of the University training
process; and strengthening the appeal of education and professional
training.
- Improvement in governance.
The report highlights an improvement in governance of training
systems, and an increase in cooperation and consultation between
Education and Labor Ministers. A growing number of States have
equipped themselves of cooperation mechanisms between the Ministers
responsible for the carrying out of the program (especially Education
and Labor Ministers), as well as consultation instruments of the
principal subjects, such as the social parts. Some States use
specific incentive measures to encourage private investment in
education by individuals and families. According to the Report,
attention is drawn to Italy for having confronted the challenges
of governance, financing, and appeal, which should help Universities
contribute to competitiveness, employment, and growth.
Signals of a general increase of investment in ongoing training
in Europe by employers are, unfortunately, still scarce. However,
it is important to continue to give priority to the improvement
of governance through partnerships centered on learning, especially
at a local and regional level, as a means to divide responsibility
and costs among interested subjects.
- Definition of permanent learning strategies.
It is very encouraging to note that some permanent learning policies
are gaining ground in Europe. Some States, such as Finland, France,
and Portugal, have well-tested systems for the ratification of
formal and informal learning, while Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the
Netherlands, Sweden, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom have recently
introduced measures in the matter, or are in the process of doing
so. Many States encourage Universities to develop their role in
permanent learning, by guaranteeing a wider access to non-traditional
students, especially those from modest socioeconomic environments
(for example, by the ratification of non-formal and informal learning).
The Report also positively points out the reform of the Italian
school system, via the improved acquisition of essential and transversal
capacities and by the improved inclusion of young people from
disadvantaged environments.
At a European level, a greater number of adults in permanent training
would increase active participation in the labor market, and would
contribute to strengthen social cohesiveness. The need to increase
participation rates in training continues to be a great challenge
for Europe, especially in the Southern European countries and
in the new Member States. This topic is also a priority for some
of the new Member States and Candidate States.
- Major synergies between higher education and industry.
The Report underlines the fact that most States, Italy among them,
consider the strengthening of synergies between higher education
and industry a fundamental condition for innovation and greater
competitiveness. Few, however, have a global strategy in the matter.
Better integration between Universities, research, and enterprises
would increase Europe’s excellence and socioeconomic growth
potential.
- Improvement of education and professional training statutes.
The report states that the principles and common references agreed
on at a European level, such as the ratification of informal learning
and insurance of the quality of teaching, are beginning to have
concrete application. For example, in Austria, the Czech Republic,
Germany, and Finland, the presence of the “dual system”
is pointed out as a positive thing. This system calls for formations
in alternation, dual qualifications combining general and professional
training, and recent measures which favor access to higher education.
These professional paths are, however, less appealing than traditional
University courses. The improvement of quality and appeal of education
and professional training remains thus a key challenge for the
future. Most States concentrate their efforts on higher secondary
teaching, especially on the development of study programs and
apprenticeships, on flexibility of passages between study courses,
on ties with the labor market, and on orientation. The reform
of the Italian school system made the passages between education
and professional training a reality. Other countries, such as
Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal,
and United Kingdom are following the same direction as Italy;
on the other hand, Austria, Germany, and Slovakia are giving priority,
within the framework of the elaboration of strategies for permanent
learning, to the strengthening of the passage between general
and higher education.
- Strengthening of mobility.
All of the countries find the strengthening of mobility in education
and training important, from the primary level to higher levels,
including the mobility of teachers and professional trainers within
the framework of their development. Nevertheless, in spite of
promising initiatives in Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece,
Ireland, and Latvia, the strategies today carried out at a national
level are not sufficient: the principal support remains the one
coming from European mobility programs, such as Comenius and Erasmus
of the Socrates Program, or the Leonardo Program. Another key
instrument in support of mobility is the Europass, which is in
course of being implemented in the entire European Union.
Various signals indicate efforts are converging in the entire
Union to reach the objectives settled in advance: improving the
quality and effectiveness of the education and training systems
in the EU; facilitating the access to education and training systems;
opening the education and training systems to the rest of the
world. This is an encouraging tendency, especially taking into
consideration that the reforms in this sector never give immediate
effects: the increased importance attributed to the effectiveness
of public investment in training is thus a positive tendency.
Among the priority objectives that the Ministers singled out,
some of these are the object of a preliminary statistical evaluation:
- Percentage of students who improved their competence in reading
and writing;
- Young people who left training school only when in possession
of a compulsory school diploma;
- Percentage of young people having undertaken studies at a secondary
level;
- Percentage of University degree holders in Mathematics of Science
and Technology;
- Level of adult participation in permanent training.
The Report underlines that Italy has registered constant progress
in all these sectors in the course of the researched period (2002
until today).
